Lakers, Warriors Trade Rumors: Lamar Odom for Monta Ellis

By IBT Staff Reporter On 06/23/11 AT 9:41 AM

Monta Ellis has spent his career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors.

Photo: Reuters

Trade rumors in the NBA have been swirling as the draft is approaches, set to start later tonight. Now, it appears that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors have been in talks to trade Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown for Monta Ellis.

CBS Sports reports that the Warriors and the Lakers had a conversation surrounding the potential trade and that the Chicago Bulls may have also been included in the conversation.

The Bulls contribution to the three-way trade would be center Joakim Noah.

The CBS report is unclear which players would end up where, but in the scenario Noah would likely end up with the Warriors since the Lakers already have Andrew Bynum.

A tandem of Ellis and point guard and Kobe Bryant at shooting guard would allow the Lakers to have to of the top scorers in the league, both excellent at getting to the basket.

The Warriors would end up with the interior presence and big men they have been looking for in Odom and Noah.

Chicago would likely end up with some combination of draft picks, but there is little else that could be offered to the Bulls by the Warriors.

In conclusion, the CBS's source states that the Bulls ultimately balked on the deal primarily due to the poison pill in Noah's five year, $60 million contract extension he signed last year.

Noah is a base year compensation player meaning that he only counts as $3 million in a trade salary matching, but $10 million on the payroll, making him very difficult to trade.

Odom and Ellis have been the subject of much speculation in the past week involving Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard, whose contract will be expiring at the end of the season and has said that he will be a free agent.

The Lakers were rumored in a trade of Odom and Bynum for Dwight Howard.

Ellis, Andris Biedrins, and Ekpe Udoh were also reportedly offered by the Warriors in exchange for Dwight Howard.

Ellis has been rumored in many trade talks due to the presence of Stephen Curry, who is a similar type player to Ellis. Both are premier scorers in the league, but both are small in stature and poor to average defenders.